Civil Defense (episode)
Sisko, Jake, and O'Brien accidentally trigger an old Cardassian security system which believes that the Occupation is still going on and the station has been taken in a Bajoran workers' rebellion. Summary In one of the station's ore processing units, where O'Brien and Jake are deleting old Cardassian files from the computers as part of an effort to convert the facility into a deuterium refinery. Commander Sisko comes in to check on them. In the course of their work, Jake asks for help with removing one of the old files, but when O'Brien attempts to help he triggers a security program. Since O'Brien lacks an appropriate access code, the OPU is locked down and an alert about a worker revolt is transmitted to Ops... much to the consternation of the Ops crew. In the OPU a recording of Gul Dukat appears on the display, warning the "workers" that they have eight minutes to end their "revolt." While beginning their effort to escape the OPU Sisko hears from Kira on his combadge, and she tries to beam them out of the OPU without success... since she also lacks the needed access code. Odo then speaks up to the effect that he is also trying to get them out, but that it will take time. Just then Quark walks into the Security office, and offers his help. Much to Odo's surprise, Quark reveals in response that he has access codes for clearances one level higher than Odo does - and offers to make an "arrangement" for giving Odo the added level of clearance. Annoyed, Odo asks Quark to leave, but since Quark feels that the Security office is the safest place on the station, he's determined to stay (and annoy Odo just by being there). Still frustrated in their efforts to escape, Sisko announces to the computer that he is the leader of the "revolt" and that they surrender. With the reprieve they gain, they work out a stratagem by which Jake will climb up the ore chute and open a hatch to greater safety than they have in the main area of the OPU. Just then, another recording plays, announcing that the compartment will be filled with neurocine gas in three minutes if the all-clear is not sounded by station security forces. As the three minutes draws to a close, Jake is only then able to open the hatch, and the three of them climb above the gas. However, the computer detects this escape and initiates a counter-insurgency program which locks down Ops and Security... and dampens combadge signals. Meanwhile Commander Sisko, O'Brien, and Jake are trying to break out of an ore receiving area by using a cart as a battering ram against a hatch. They finally give up that approach and figure out a way to blow the hatch with raw uridium ore primed with electricity. In Ops, Dax is trying to regain control of the main computer when her hands are burned by an intrusion countermeasure. This countermeasure also escalates the counter-insurgency program again, an action which a new recording says will result in neurazine being pumped into the station's Habitat Ring. Just then Garak steps into Ops, having made his way through the station with his old but still-valid access codes. After Garak explains what he understands of the situation, the other senior staff decide to disable the station's life support system in order to forestall the release of the gas. Garak is emphatic that such a course of action is the only way to keep the Habitat Ring from being poisoned. Major Kira overloads the life support console with her phaser... which escalates the counter-insurgency program once more. The recording that goes along with the event announces that in two hours the station will self-destruct, and the computer begins the countdown. Sometime later, Dax devises a new plan to disable the security sensors in Ops in an effort to hide the fact that Garak is attempting to impersonate Dukat and hack into the computer. However, before the plan can be put fully into action, an alarm is tripped and the counter-insurgency program escalates yet again - now to Level Four - which causes a maximum-intensity disruptor to be replicated and start firing at high rates throughout Ops. One crewman is immediately annihilated. A few minutes later Dukat transports unannounced into Ops and explains what he knows of the situation, while the disruptor continues to fire around him. After pausing to replicate a cup of tea, Dukat implies his intention to get something in return for shutting down the counter-insurgency program, and baits Garak into an argument. Once he's done blathering on, he shuts down the disruptor and asks Major Kira to follow him into the station commander's office. There, he offers to shut down the counter-insurgency program, but only in exchange for being allowed to place a Cardassian garrison on the station. Kira refuses those terms. Dukat then leaves the station commander's office and endeavors to transport back to his ship... only to trip a subroutine in the counter-insurgency program meant to account for an effort on Dukat's part to abandon the station in a cowardly manner. Once he gets over himself, Dukat explains that the self-destruct system requires the removal of the power reactor's reaction stabilizers, which would result in the catastrophic overload of the reactor. Dax proposes that this outcome could be forestalled by disabling the reactor's initiator. Back in the ore receiving bay, Sisko and O'Brien successfully blow the hatch which opens to the rest of the station. They try to make their way to Ops, but find themselves blocked by force fields. In Ops, a plan is worked out to overload the power supplied to the force fields, and it works, also resulting in the restoration of communications (though the force field affecting the Security office turns out to be on a different power system which hasn't been overloaded). Kira immediately explains to Commander Sisko the need to disable the reactor's initiator. He orders the rest of the senior staff to begin evacuating the station while he and O'Brien attempt to shut down the reactor. Commander Sisko and O'Brien discover that the main corridors leading to the reactor control junction are blocked by debris from the power overload, so they attempt to go through a burning maintenance corridor instead. Commander Sisko orders his son to stay behind in the main corridor. O'Brien passes out, but Commander Sisko makes it all the way to the control junction. While the Commander is busy rearranging data rods Jake disobeys his father's orders to pull O'Brien out of the maintenance corridor, which saves O'Brien's life. Commander Sisko gets the last of the data rods replaced at the last instant. Background Information *This episode was the first to mention Quark's cousin, Gaila. Josh Pais plays the character in the episodes "Business as Usual" (Season 5) and "The Magnificent Ferengi" (Season 6). *Referenced Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: #75 Links and References Guest Stars * Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak * Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat * Danny Goldring as Legate Kell References con artist; counter-insurgency program; Demilitarized Zone; Frin; fusion reactor; Gaila; Gaila's moon; infirmary; laser fusion initiator; latinum; neutralization emitter; Occupation of Bajor; plasma conduit; plasma fire; racquetball; Tye; Zek Category:DS9 episodes de:In der Falle nl:Civil Defense